22nd August 2024: New Brighton (mod+)

It was a wild and windy with rain in the air when I got up, so I wondered a) if anyone else would turn up at Ness Gardens and b) even if they did, would anyone want to ride. But I should have known better, because a little adverse weather never put off the hardy riders of CER. Dave H, Ray B, Andy B, Mike D, George, Clive and I gathered for coffee and chewed the fat about where to go to.

In the end, Clive and I decided to follow a route to New Brighton first led by Clive in 2020 and subsequently replicated by Steve Hughes two year later. We left Ness in very light drizzle, returning to the coastal path past Nets and on towards Parkgate. Some nifty turns through Neston soon had us cruising through Lower Heswall followed by the long climb up Thurstaton Road to the top of Heswall and on into Irby. By now the rain had stopped and the roads were dry.

From there is was downhill into Saughall Massie, Moreton and Leasowe and thence to the front at New Brighton where we could see the waves pounding against the sea defences and one brave soul on a surf board. The Seaside Café provided the usual high-quality lunch at a very reasonable price and we were soon ready to leave for home. Riding down the promenade at Egremont, we paused to take a photo with the skyline of Liverpool behind us.

From there we threaded our way around the various docks, even carrying the bikes down and up some steps near Woodside Ferry, where some major upgrade of the pathways was taking place. On reaching Birkenhead Priory we stopped to take a look as, today, it was open to the public. The Priory was established as a Benedictine Monastery in the 1150s and its monks farmed the lands and operated a ferry (the first?) across the Mersey. Henry VIII closed it down in 1536 and the monks dispersed.

We were also able to climb the 100 steps to the top of the tower of St Mary’s church from where there are terrific views of Cammell Lairds shipyards and the two cathedrals.

Leaving here, we went on past Tranmere and Rock Ferry. At Port Sunlight, Clive wanted to go off-piste to find the old railway line that Alan had introduced us to a while back. It ran from Port Sunlight down to the river near the chemical works at Bromborough. At the end of the line we threaded our way through the industrial estate to Eastham Country Park and the ferry. Approaching the A41, we missed the turning to the B5132, so we had to use the main road to cross the M53 and dive down Hooton Green near The Chimneys pub. That allowed us to get back ‘on piste’ and zoom along Heath Lane to reach the Wirral Way at Willaston.

From here it was a straightforward, if bumpy, run to Neston and Ness Gardens, where we arrived about 3 pm. In the end, we covered 40 miles on a day that had promised high wind and rain, but delivered less wind and we never needed to put our rain jackets on. Thanks to Clive for his company and for the tour of Birkenhead Priory, not to mention the off-piste section.

ST

See route map and/or gpx file download